199: Chapter 199 Defeat and Gaze: The Giant's Crushing

Lin Feng sat in the locker room.

He looked down at the stat sheet in his hand.

The piece of paper seemed to be mocking him.

8 points.

2 assists.

3 turnovers.

His halftime stats.

He felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.

The flame in his heart was on the verge of extinguishing.

That figure wearing number 23.

Was like an insurmountable mountain.

He closed his eyes.

Kobe's voice rang in his ears.

"mamba mentality."

"Never give up."

Lin Feng snapped his eyes open.

A spark of fire reignited in his gaze.

Unwillingness.

Anger.

And an even more searing fighting spirit.

He took a deep breath.

And stood up.

"Lin."

Nash walked over.

And patted his shoulder.

"Don't overthink it."

"We still have a chance in the second half."

Lin Feng didn't speak.

He only nodded.

He knew.

The chances were slim.

But as long as the game wasn't over,

He wouldn't give up.

Internally, he grumbled.

This isn't a chance.

This is practically hell-mode difficulty.

Coach D'Antoni entered the locker room.

His expression was also very grim.

"Listen up, guys."

"I know it's tough right now."

"But we can't just give up like this."

"Pick up your spirits!"

"Show me your guts!"

He said a lot.

But the players' responses were weak.

Morale had already hit rock bottom.

Lin Feng looked at his teammates.

Every single one of them had their heads down.

Their eyes were hollow.

He felt a pang of sadness.

This Los Angeles Lakers team...

Was truly old.

*Beep—*

Halftime ended.

The players returned to the court.

The Staples Center remained quiet.

The fans were hoping for a miracle.

But a miracle...

Seemed unlikely to descend.

The second half began.

The Miami Heat had the ball.

Wade advanced with the ball.

His eyes were sharp,

Like a Cheetah on the hunt.

With a burst of speed,

He blew past Nash,

And drove into the paint.

The Los Angeles Lakers' interior was in chaos.

Gasol tried to rotate for help defense.

Wade used a Euro-step,

Feinting left,

Dashing right,

His body contorting in the air.

The basketball slipped from his fingertips.

*Swish!*

Nothing but net.

54:32.

The lead continued to widen.

Los Angeles Lakers' possession.

Lin Feng took the ball.

He tried to drive,

But James was like a wall,

Firmly blocking his path.

Lin Feng passed the ball to Kobe.

Kobe was at the 45-degree angle on the left.

Facing Battier's defense,

He forced a pull-up jumper.

*Clang!*

The ball hit the front of the rim,

And bounced out.

Bosh grabbed the rebound.

The Miami Heat went on a fast break.

Bosh trailed down the middle,

Caught the pass from James,

Stopped on a dime,

And jumped for a shot.

The motion was fluid.

*Swish!*

The ball went in steadily.

56:32.

The lead had reached 24 points.

The Los Angeles Lakers' defense...

Had completely collapsed.

Their steps were heavy,

Their eyes dazed.

Every defensive effort

Seemed inadequate.

Wade showed his prowess again.

With a crossover,

He blew past Lin Feng,

And charged toward the hoop.

Gasol raised his hand symbolically,

And Wade finished with an easy layup.

58:32.

"This is simply a one-sided slaughter."

Even the commentator's voice carried a hint of helplessness.

Lin Feng felt a tightness in his chest.

He ran desperately,

Defended desperately,

But it all felt futile.

He saw his teammates' mistakes.

Nash's pass was intercepted.

Gasol's inside shot missed.

Kobe's shot clanked off the iron.

The Los Angeles Lakers' morale...

Had dropped to freezing point.

They were like a flock of lost lambs,

Before the powerful Miami Heat,

Without the slightest power to fight back.

Lin Feng did not give up.

He gritted his teeth,

And asked for the ball again.

James was still sticking to him.

Lin Feng accelerated,

Then stopped abruptly,

Creating a bit of space,

And forced a shot.

*Swish!*

A three-pointer made.

61:35.

He turned back,

And looked at James,

Defiance in his eyes.

James only smiled,

Unbothered.

On the next possession,

James had the ball.

Facing Kobe's defense,

He backed him down.

He was full of power.

Kobe did his best to resist,

But James spun easily,

And hit the jumper.

63:35.

The deficit...

Did not shrink.

Instead, it continued to grow.

Lin Feng felt a wave of despair.

He scored,

But the Miami Heat scored faster.

He worked hard,

But the Miami Heat were stronger.

He looked at James.

That man...

Was like an insurmountable high mountain.

Lin Feng tried again.

He used a teammate's screen,

Ran to an open spot,

Caught Nash's pass,

And decisively shot a three.

*Swish!*

Another three-pointer.

63:38.

He was panting heavily,

Sweat soaking his jersey.

He felt physically exhausted,

But his spirit was still holding on.

James was on the sideline.

He looked at the scoreboard,

Then looked at Lin Feng,

A smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

That kind of smile...

Was full of confidence,

And a hint of disdain.

The third quarter...

Had already lost its suspense.

The Miami Heat's Big Three were firing on all cylinders.

Wade's Euro-step,

Bosh's precise mid-range jumpers,

Caused the Los Angeles Lakers' defense...

To completely crumble.

James was even more all-around.

He passed,

He scored,

He defended.

He was everywhere.

On the Los Angeles Lakers' side,

Morale was low.

The players on the court

Made frequent turnovers,

Completely stunned by the onslaught.

One of Nash's passes

Flew directly out of bounds.

In the paint, Gasol...

Was easily stripped by his opponent.

Kobe's shooting...

Was ice cold.

Lin Feng was still working hard to score.

He used the Midorimas Full-Court Three-Pointer,

Positioned himself,

Caught the ball,

And shot.

*Swish!*

Another three-pointer.

65:41.

But this was just a drop in the bucket.

The Miami Heat quickly answered back.

James drove once,

Drawing all the defense,

Then delivered a bounce pass.

Wade caught it for an alley-oop slam dunk.

*Boom!*

The whole stadium erupted.

Staples Center,

However, was lifeless.

Lin Feng felt his body was heavy.

Every movement

Felt like wrestling with the air.

He knew...

The game was already lost.

But he couldn't fall.

He looked at Kobe on the bench.

Kobe's eyes...

Were full of helplessness,

And a bit of pain.

Lin Feng understood.

That was the mamba mentality,

Struggling after taking a heavy blow.

He had to fight for Kobe,

For this team,

Until the very last moment.

He took the ball again,

Facing James.

He dribbled,

Accelerated,

And crossed over.

James didn't budge.

Lin Feng forced a fadeaway jumper.

The basketball traced an arc in the air.

*Clang!*

It hit the rim,

And bounced out.

James grabbed the rebound,

Then pushed the pace quickly.

He charged straight to the frontcourt,

And delivered a tomahawk dunk.

*Boom!*

The hoop vibrated with a buzzing sound.

75:45.

The deficit...

Had reached 30 points.

The third quarter ended.

James had only played three quarters,

But had already put up near triple-double stats.

28 points.

9 rebounds.

8 assists.

Stats like these...

Were despair-inducing.

He was subbed out.

On the bench,

He chatted and laughed with his teammates,

A relaxed smile on his face,

As if what had just ended...

Was just an ordinary practice game.

Lin Feng looked at him,

The unwillingness in his heart,

Like oil added to a blazing fire.

He vowed,

That one day,

He would defeat this man with his own hands.

The fourth quarter began.

The game entered garbage time.

Coach D'Antoni,

Also subbed out all the starters,

Leaving only Lin Feng,

Still on the court.

He wanted Lin Feng...

To feel this despair,

To feel this humiliation.

Lin Feng knew the coach's intention.

He didn't complain.

He just ran silently,

Defended silently.

The Miami Heat's bench players

Also played very easily.

They kept scoring,

And the deficit continued to widen.

Lin Feng felt very lonely,

And very helpless.

He looked at Kobe on the sideline.

Kobe's face was grim,

His eyes complex.

Lin Feng knew...

Kobe was also very unwilling,

But there was nothing he could do.

Finally,

With two minutes left in the game,

Coach D'Antoni

Called a timeout.

He signaled for Lin Feng to come off.

Lin Feng slowly walked toward the bench.

He felt his whole body aching.

He glanced at the scoreboard.

113:83.

The deficit was still massive.

He slowly walked toward the player tunnel.

As he passed mid-court,

He stopped.

He took a long, deep look...

At James on the opposing bench.

James felt his gaze.

He turned his head,

And their eyes...

Across the court,

Met from a distance.

James's gaze was calm,

Full of confidence.

He was like a victorious monarch,

Looking down upon his domain.

While Lin Feng's gaze...

Was full of unwillingness,

And an even more searing fighting spirit.

He did not back down,

He did not look away.

He told James with his eyes,

That this game...

Was only the beginning.

He would make a comeback.

He would prove himself.

James only smiled slightly,

Without saying a word,

As if saying,

"Young man,"

"You still have a long way to go."

The final buzzer sounded.

*Beep—!*

Staples Center...

Was silent.

On the scoreboard,

The bright red score

Stung everyone's eyes.

115:85.

Lakers G1,

A crushing 30-point defeat.

The players were dejected,

Walking toward the player tunnel.

Lin Feng kept his head down,

Following the team off the court.

His heart...

Was full of frustration,

But even more so,

A raging fighting spirit.

He knew...

This was only the first game of the NBA Finals.

The road was still long.

He still had a chance.

He would become stronger.

At the press conference site,

Lights flashed.

Reporters swarmed in.

They surrounded James,

Cameras pointed at him.

"LeBron,"

A reporter asked,

"How would you evaluate Lin Feng's performance today?"

Everyone looked at James,

Waiting for his answer.

James picked up the microphone.

He looked at the camera,

His eyes calm,

Yet carrying a powerful dominance.

He said those words,

His voice not loud,

But clearly reaching every corner of the room.

"He played very well."

"But,"

"Welcome to the NBA Finals,"

"Young man."